1. Field of the Invention
The present invention deals with the field of deployable steps and ladder systems attachable to vehicles to facilitate access to the interior thereof or to facilitate access to portions of the vehicle including entry and exit by personnel. These steps can also facilitate access to various portions of an emergency truck or to the fire truck where items are stored at elevated locations.
With this type of an application often there is a limited space available and the present invention specifically provides a drive means, a deployable step, as well as a housing for receiving thereof and deployment linkage which is oriented within a limited vertical dimension to facilitate placement in restricted areas available in the chassis or truck body of emergency vehicles such as fire trucks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A number of retractable and deployable step systems have been disclosed in various patents such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,118,557 patented May 24, 1938 to G. W. Hamilton on a “Retractable Step For Vehicles”; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,492,068 patented Dec. 20, 1949 to E. L. Schofield et al on a “Retractable Vehicle Step”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,572,754 patented Mar. 30, 1971 to S. B Fowler and assigned to General Motors Corporation on a “Vehicle Step Arrangement”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,645,557 patented Feb. 29, 1972 to A. Aldropp et al on a “Foldable Retractable Step Assembly For Campers And Like Vehicles”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,833,240 patented Sep. 3, 1974 to R. C. Weller on a “Retractable Step For Use With Trailers, Motor Homes, Or Other Vehicles”; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,887,217 patented Jun. 3, 1975 to W. W. Thomas on a “Retractable Step For Vehicles”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,017,093 patented Apr. 12, 1977 to A. Stecker on a “Vehicle Step”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,020,920 patented May 3, 1977 to J. D. Abbott on a “Retractable Transit Coach Step”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,502 patented Feb. 14, 1978 to R. C. Frank et al on a “Retractable Step”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,790 patented Aug. 15, 1978 to R. C. Weller and assigned to Blackstone Manufacturing Co., Inc. on a “Vehicle Step”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,110,673 patented Aug. 29, 1978 to E. J. Nagy et al and assigned to Kwikee Enterprises, Inc. on an “Extendable Vehicle Step And Step Motor Control System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,180,143 patented Dec. 25, 1979 to G. D. Clugston on a “Step For Vehicles”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,849 patented Jan. 29, 1980 to W. J. Jaeger on a “Retractable Step For Motor Vehicle”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,200,303 patented Apr. 29, 1980 to P. N. Kelly on a “Door-Operated Boarding Step For Trucks”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,648 patented Jun. 23, 1981 to R. R. Robins on a “Vehicle Bumper Step”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,686 patented Nov. 1, 1983 to E. T. Vagrell and assigned to AB Volvo on a “Folding Step For Vehicles”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,364 patented Apr. 3, 1984 to S. S. Cone et al on a “Retractable Aircraft Step”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,160 patented to J. W. Trudell on Nov. 18, 1986 on an “Extensible Step Assembly For Vehicles”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,679,810 patented Jul. 14, 1987 to J. F. Kimball on a “Powered Step Assembly For Vehicles”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,355 patented Nov. 24, 1987 to J. Tiede on a “Hideaway Vehicle Step”; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,974 patented Jan. 8, 1991 to W. L. Guidry and assigned to Interco Tire Corporation on an “Adjustable High Vehicle Boarding Step”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,450 patented to L. DeHart, Sr. and assigned to The Dometic Corporation on Feb. 4, 1992 on a “Step Stall Prevention For Vehicle Steps”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,707 patented Jul. 20, 1993 to C. T. Yoder and assigned to Carriage, Inc. on a “Retractable Vehicle Step”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,073 patented Aug. 30, 1994 to R. L. Poole on a “Retractable Step For Motor Vehicles”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,498,012 patented Mar. 12, 1996 to P. K. McDaniel et al and assigned to McDanial Manufacturing, Inc. on a “Convertible Vehicle Step”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,269 patented Jul. 23, 1996 to P. K. McDaniel et al and assigned to McDaniel Manufacturing, Inc. on a “Convertible Vehicle Step”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,547,040 patented Aug. 220, 1996 to P. E. Hanser et al and assigned to HWH Corporation on an “Automatic Step For Recreational Vehicles”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,709 patented Dec. 1, 1998 to M. M. Maccabee and assigned to Kwikee Products Co., Inc. on a “Retractable, Swing Down Step Assembly”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,237 patented Sep. 28, 1999 to R. H. Tigner and assigned to Specific Cruise Systems, Inc. on a “Motorized Collapsible Step”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,472 patented Oct. 24, 2000 to K. Wilson et al and assigned to SportRack LLC on a “Motor Powered Running Board”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,486 patented Apr. 10, 2001 to J. R. Kunz et al and assigned to Kwikee Products Co., Inc. on a “Step Assembly With Concealed Lower Tread”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,641,158 patented Nov. 4, 2003 to H. Leitner and assigned to American Moto Products, Inc. on a “Retractable Vehicle Step”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,204 patented Feb. 3, 2004 to I K. L. Hehr on a “Hitch-Mounted Extensible Step For Pickup Trucks And Other Vehicles Having Tailgates”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,830,257 patented Dec. 14, 2004 to H. Leitner and assigned to American Moto Products, Inc. on a “Retractable Vehicle Step”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,834,875 patented Dec. 28, 2004 to H. Leitner et al and assigned to American Moto Products, Inc. on a “Retractable Vehicle Step”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,880,843 patented Apr. 19, 2005 to M. T. Greer, Jr. on a “Vehicle Step Device”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,938,909 patented Sep. 6, 2005 to H. Leitner and assigned to 89908, Inc. on a “Retractable Vehicle Step”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,942,233 patented Sep. 13, 2005 to H. Leitner et al and assigned to 89908, Inc. on a “Retractable Vehicle Step”; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,007,961 patented to H. Leitner et al and assigned to 89908, Inc. on Mar. 7, 2006 on a “Retractable Vehicle Step”; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,055,839 patented Jun. 6, 2006 to H. Leitner and assigned to 89908, Inc. on a “Retractable Vehicle Step”; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,163,221 patented Jan. 16, 2007 to H. Leitner and assigned to 89908, Inc. on a “Retractable Vehicle Step With Anti-Strike/Anti-Pinch Sensor System”; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,168,722 patented Jan. 30, 2007 to L. D. Piotrowski et al on a “Pull-Out Step Assembly For A Pickup Truck”; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,219,911 patented May 22, 2007 to D. Sukonthapanich et al and assigned to Ventra Group Inc. on a “Retractable Vehicle Step Assembly”; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,367,574 patented May 6, 2008 to H. Leitner on “Drive Systems For Retractable Vehicle Step”; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,380,807 patented Jun. 3, 2008 to H. Leitner and assigned to 89908, Inc. on a “Retractable Vehicle Step”; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,398,985 patented Jul. 15, 2008 to H. Leitner et al and assigned to 89908, Inc. on a “Retractable Vehicle Step”; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,413,204 patented Aug. 19, 2008 to H. Leitner and assigned to 89908, Inc. on a “Retractable Vehicle Step”; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,469,916 patented Dec. 30, 2008 to B. E. Watson and assigned to Magna International Inc. on an “Automated Deployable Running Board”; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,503,572 patented Mar. 17, 2009 to B. K. Park et al on a “Retractable Vehicle Step”.